School Admissions Manager

Purpose of Role

This is a senior role, responsible for attracting and driving student enrolments to meet ambitious targets, building relationships with prospective families, and collaborating with all stakeholders involved in the admissions process. The role will oversee lead conversion (generated by our marketing team) to enrolment. This is a role for someone who is a natural leader, performance-driven, and comfortable with using data strategically.

Job Description

Head of Admissions – Alexandria

This is a senior role, responsible for attracting and driving student enrolments to meet ambitious targets, building relationships with prospective families, and collaborating with all stakeholders involved in the admissions process. The role will oversee lead conversion (generated by our marketing team) to enrolment. This is a role for someone who is a natural leader, performance-driven, and comfortable with using data strategically.

The Head of Admissions reports solid into the Head of the school and has a functional reporting to the Regional Head of Admissions.

The Head of Admissions is a member of the School Senior Leadership Team.

• In addition to a competitive base salary, this role offers a discretionary 10% bonus based on targets.

Key Responsibilities

Recruitment and enrolment management:

• Advise prospective parents & stakeholders on our value proposition (profile, programme, fee structure and all services provided) across all sales channels.
• Primary responsibility of implementing the Schools Admissions process, including the nurturing of the sales funnel (at all stages), guaranteeing the best family experience journey, customer service, negotiation, and objection handling, commercial scripts, and parent communications.
• Make the adequate follow-up to all potential leads to warm the prospective sales (through school tours and meetings) and convert them into new enrolments.
• Create, organise, and deploy innovative open days and recruitment events (virtual and presential), as well as admissions meetings, while displaying an excellent customer experience service.
• Support the School responsible in carrying out assessment of prospective students per the admissions policy.
• Implement all policies and documentation related to student admissions (including toolkits, templates, scholarship programmes), with the support of stakeholders following ISP guidelines, to ensure consistency in admissions standards and processes.
• Monitor and develop lead generation activities, work with the ISP Heads of Marketing and Admissions, to ensure admissions targets are met.
• Work with the Head of School and SLT to develop appropriate programmes and campaigns, such as referral schemes, scholarships, or working with feeder schools.
• Regularly review and develop admissions documents, parent communication platforms and templates, and marketing collaterals to ensure accurate information and best practice.
• Ensure that the school implements ISP customer service and customer experience standards and conducts regular trainings and refresher trainings for all admissions team front facing staff.

Networking & Building Relationships

• Develop and nurture mutually beneficial relationships with feeder schools, nurseries, universities, local businesses, government entities, education agents and other organisations to maximize student recruitment and retention at the school.
• Support the Head of School with participation in relevant national and regional conferences, events, and competitions to raise the profile of the school, students, and faculty.
• Work with parent-facing administrative staff closely, to ensure an outstanding coordination among all internal stakeholders involved in the process and that first impressions of the school are excellent leading to positive visitor experience.
• Advise on effective continued support and communication to new families after students enroll at the school - ‘after sales care’.
• Ensure that a customer loyalty programme is in place and aligned with the customer loyalty programme created for the region.

Enrolment Targets & Data Management

• Work closely with the school leadership team to establish recruitment and retention targets: by analysing the demand appetite, enrolment data and identification of trends.
• Lead and prepare comprehensive reports based on data analysis and provide recommendations for adjustments to recruitment tactics, customer excellence and operational efficiency.
• Maintain the CRM system by ensuring it is up to date, accurate and effectively utilised for tracking and managing student prospective information.
• Take ownership for agreed retention targets.
• Ensure school has clear retention data and targets to work towards.
• Ensure school meet retention targets by developing and implementing a structured and personalised approach to retaining existing families based on gathering the appropriate information and early identification of at-risk families with a clearly thought-out action at the school.

Team´s Coordination & Management

The Head of Admissions is responsible for leading and coordinating the admissions team, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and operational efficiency. This includes setting clear goals, overseeing daily activities, providing guidance and professional development, and fostering a high-performance culture. The role involves streamlining processes, optimizing team structure, and ensuring effective collaboration to drive enrolments and enhance the overall admissions experience.

Skills, Qualifications And Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree from a relevant field (business administration or similar).
• Excellent command of Italian, both written and spoken; working knowledge of English is an advantage.
• Familiarised with both Italian and international markets (demographical, social, and cultural knowledge).
• Demonstrable experience in the commercial “service” sector (ideally in the educational sector and the student recruitment, enrolment, and retention fields, but not a “must”).
• Strong data management, analytical skills, and proficiency in technology for accurately organising, analysing admissions data, generating reports, and ensuring compliance with data regulations.
• Experienced in managing a CRM system (HubSpot or Salesforce, preferred).
• Articulate, communicative, and able to present information in a concise and professional manner.
• Organisation skills: well organized and able to prioritise tasks.
• Excellent skills in Customer Experience.
• Critical thinking.
• Leadership skills: ability to manage self and a team effectively and work in cross functional teams.
• Ability to initiate opportunities for self and others and to find solutions to ensure tasks are completed within specified timescales.
• Ability to negotiate, persuade and motivate others.

ISP Principles

Begin with our children and students

Our children and students are at the heart of what we do. Simply, their success is our success. Wellbeing and safety are both essential for learners and learning. Therefore, we are consistent in identifying potential safeguarding and Health & Safety issues and acting and following up on all concerns appropriately.

Treat everyone with care and respect

We look after one another, embrace similarities and differences and promote the well-being of self and others.

Operate effectively.

We focus relentlessly on the things that are most important and will make the most difference. We apply school policies and procedures and embody the shared ideas of our community.

Are financially responsible.

We make financial choices carefully based on the needs of the children, students and our schools.

Learn continuously.

Getting better is what drives us. We positively engage with personal and professional development and school improvement.

ISP Commitment to Safeguarding Principles

ISP is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All post holders are subject to appropriate vetting procedures, including an online due diligence search, references and satisfactory Criminal Background Checks or equivalent covering the previous 10 years’ employment history.

ISP Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

ISP is committed to strengthening our inclusive culture by identifying, hiring, developing, and retaining high-performing teammates regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender expression, age, disability status, neurodivergence, socio-economic background or other demographic characteristics. Candidates who share our vision and principles and are interested in contributing to the success of ISP through this role are strongly encouraged to apply.